


Live On

by cazoo



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Kenma, M/M, Oneshot, WW2 AU, World War II, did you know that, minor yuuri/victor, neither did I, otabek is shorter than, otayuri - Freeform, sorry - Freeform, tentmates, this is crap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-04 18:23:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10285769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazoo/pseuds/cazoo
Summary: "do you want an ota-graph" lmao i'll show myself out.“Life may not seem the fair at first, but it bring things together in ways you understand only after,” Otabek muttered. Although Yuri couldn’t really hear what Otabek had said, he nodded, only not to look stupid.





	

September 1944 [the campsite]

It had been one month since Yuri had been drafted for the army. 

He had so much prospect in the rink. His dads, both world champions of figure skating had trained him from early on. It was as if he was born on the ice, and ice was his best-and only friend. He could skate before he could run, leaping over the ice before even his first day of school. Everything had been planned out so well: he would rise up through the competitions and bring home gold medals to add to his parents’ stash. He was already well on his way and was preparing for Grand Prix and the Olympics. They would be a graceful family; their fame frozen forever.

Except for the fact that he had been transferred into an army camp in the freezing cold and he didn’t have a clue where the hell he was. Both his parents had offered their lives in the place of his, but they were looking for boys from the age of 18-25 and his dads were out of the age zone. He had trained in some type of contained area for months and now, and instead of holding a medal in front of a huge cheering crowd, he had a MK1 in his hands and had a olive green uniform with an ugly hard shelled hat on. 

Yuri sighed as he walked towards his assigned tent, debating on the idea of kicking his tent mate out because he wanted privacy and certainly sharing these tiny ass tents wouldn’t get him any. It seemed that his tent mate had already settled in when he arrived at the front of the tent, which was built already, unlike many of the others around him. Yuri lifted up the flap to reveal two sleeping bags laid out, although one had bags draped all over it. Yuri hated being second in anything, even if it was something as meaningless as this. The blonde grumbled as he put his identical bags on the empty sleeping bag and laid down. The sleeping bag was extremely thin and he could feel all the rocks straight through. This was nothing like at home. Even though back home, they were all on strict rations, Yuri’s family had been pretty well off, and his bed had been large and fluffy. 

Yuri suddenly woke to the sound of a zipper opening. Huh, he must’ve fallen asleep when he lied down. He looked to his right to see and man sitting on the other opposite sleeping bag, digging through his bag. The man looked at the still drowsy Yuri, and went back to digging through his bag. He didn’t really look like a Russian, his skin and hair much darker, compared to Yuri’s pale skin and light blonde hair. 

“Are you going to ignore me forever or what?!” Yuri exclaimed sitting up. 

“Hello,” the other man said, still not meeting Yuri’s eyes. 

“You don’t have to be so goddamn rude you know,” Yuri said, crossing his arms. 

“You’re Yuri I assume? The ice skater?” the man simply replied. 

“Yes, but now I’m here, may as well be another average Russian guy,” Yuri said.

“I would say long time no see, but you probably don’t even remember me,” the man sighed, “I’m Otabek.” 

“Well yeah, sorry I can’t remember all my fans,” Yuri said, making himself seem sorry, but really feeling pride swell up inside of him. “Do you want an autograph?” he added in, joking. 

“No,” Otabek looked down again, “I was in the same training camp with you a couple years back. For ice skating I mean.” 

“Otabek,” Yuri repeated to himself. It sounded kind of familiar. He closed his eyes and pictured himself as a 11 year old in the ice skating training camp. He tried remembering all the loud ones that would soon quit after realizing they would be learning ballet, all the quiet ones that he made fun of and bragged to, and then he finally remembered the one called Otabek. The raven was never loud, but he didn’t absolutely suck at ice skating like most of the quiet ones. He never complained about anything and trained hard to keep up with everyone else. 

“I mean, it’s okay if you don’t, it’s not li-” 

“Why were you even drafted for the army if you’re from Kazakhstan?” Otabek’s face lit up; Yuri had in fact remembered his existence. 

“Well it’s a long story, but I was just training here and it was by force,” Otabek shrugged. 

“How could you not the be mad?!” Yuri said, voice quickly rising to a shout, “what have be spent our whole lives preparing for? This?” 

“Life may not seem the fair at first, but it bring things together in ways you understand only after,” Otabek muttered. Although Yuri couldn’t really hear what Otabek had said, he nodded, only not to look stupid. 

For the rest of the night, they chatted on and on about their lives inside the rink. Yuri was glad to have someone to rant to about this situation and to have someone who actually understands skating. Otabek, on the other hand, was just glad to reunite with Yuri. 

~~

November 1944 [the tent]

Yuri and Otabek had become the best of friends. It was kind of the awkward pair, with Yuri insulting everyone and taking pride in everything and Otabek just there, quiet and observant. They didn’t talk much to others mostly because of their personality and combined awkwardness in social situations. The days were slowly getting closer, and although they’ve participated in battles, they were never on front lines. They were also kept together for the most part, which was good because they could comfort one another if needed.

“Beka? Are you awake?” Yuri whispered through the darkness. 

“Yes, Yura?” Otabek replied, clearly groggy and just woken up.

“Are… are you cold?” Yuri nervously asked. 

“Not really,” Otabek said, “why?” 

“C-can I sleep with you?” Yuri asked, and then suddenly realized what he had just said. His cheeks started to flare up and he silently thanked the darkness for obstructing it from Otabek’s view. 

“Hm?” Otabek’s eyebrows went up.

“No! No, not in that way! I’m just really cold, you know!?” Yuri quickly tried to cover up his mistake, each word making it worse.

“Yeah, if it’s not too weird for you,” Otabek chuckled, mostly to himself. Yuri got up from his sleeping bag and walked the whole two steps to Otabek’s. He curled up next to the much larger man. 

Suddenly, Yuri was aware of every one of Otabek’s movements; his hot breaths on the back of Yuri’s neck, both of their hearts pounding together, and the warmth radiating off of his body.

“I really like how you’ve grown out your hair,” Otabek murmured as he took a strand of Yuri’s hair in his hands. Yuri’s golden hair had grown down to his waist, but it was a pain to keep it from knotting, especially in this army camp. 

“I was thinking of maybe cutting it, but I guess not anymore,” Yuri lazily smiled. Otabek pressed his lips into Yuri’s soft hair and Yuri turned, their lips meeting in the middle. 

“We should do that again sometime. That felt nice,” were Yuri’s last words before drifting off to sleep. Otabek smiled. He had seen Yuri in a light different from others ever since that training camp 8 years ago. He’d admired him from afar, behind the glass of the ice skating rinks and on the front pages of newspapers. He was surprised when he had found out he was in the same tent as Yuri, but the hoped of them being nothing more than friends. Otabek knew that Yuri probably wasn’t gay and even less likely shared the same feelings as him.

“I love you, my kitten,” Otabek whispered as he wrapped his arms around Yuri’s waist. He could’ve sworn he heard Yuri whisper back a, “I love you too,” but when he checked, Yuri was already lost in deep sleep.

~~

March [the hospital]

Yuri and Otabek were in charge of manning a cannon together. They were doing so well. They weren’t even on the front lines. But someone had left their fucking gun on their ground because next thing Yuri knew, he had stepped on it and it felt as if their were fireworks going off in his right leg. “What a shitty way to go down,” Yuri had said as he fell back closing his eyes. 

Yuri was on the hospital bed, tears streaming down his face. Only his grandfather had the seen him cry like this before. This time, instead of his grandfather, Otabek was holding Yuri hand tightly, silently standing by his side.

“How am I supposed to fucking skate anymore?!” Yuri cried, his kitten like eyes searching Otabek’s. Otabek had no reply, but his warmth was enough to soothe Yuri, at least for the time being. He continued to stare at Otabek’s expressionless face, pleading for answers as Otabek reached out to wipe his tears away. 

“Can you promise me one thing?” Otabek whispered as he brought his face close to Yuri’s ear. He ran his hands through the golden locks of Yuri’s hair as he waited for an answer.

“What is it?” Yuri asked, tears temporarily stopping for a moment.

“Don’t fucking die,” Otabek said. This startled Yuri a bit, seeing as Otabek had almost never cursed. He moved his face back a bit so he could look at Otabek’s, although his view was blurry from tears. He had never seen Otabek’s eyes so deadly serious. 

“For you,” Yurio murmured as he reached his arm around Otabek’s neck and pulled him in so that their lips met. 

Their mouths moved together, almost in perfect sync, before Otabek broke away and muttered, “I love you Yura,” this time to an awake Yuri, his hot breath reaching Yuri’s face.

And this time, Yuri replied,

“I fucking love you too, Beka.” 

~~

July 1945

Yuri stood at the edge of a large cliff, overlooking a battlefield that had been used multiple times during the war. 

He’d thought to himself many times how stupid people were for dying for their loved ones. Now here he is.

He hadn’t even been at Otabek’s side when his life was stolen, in fact he didn’t even know how he died, just that his name was among those that were posted on a sign in the middle of the camp. Yuri hadn’t even been able to see his face for one last time. He had been at the hospital, learning how to walk again using the prosthetic leg that they had provided him with. He had been waiting for his Gallant Knight to come back home and he never fucking did. Yuri hated Otabek so much for leaving him, for nearly putting him into a mental hospital, but at the same time, he couldn’t hate him because he loved him so damn much. 

Every step that Yuri took towards the edge, another memory of Otabek sparked. His warm arms around his waist, supporting his weight as Yuri rediscovered how to walk. His dark eyes that spoke of nothing, but if you looked closely, you could see pain, and beyond that, love. His calloused hands running through his hair whenever they were close enough. The sparks they felt whenever they were one.

Then it came to him right as he was about to take the last step. The promise he had made some months ago. 

Did it matter though? The only person who’d heard him make that promise was now gone, just another name in the millions who would also not make it home. 

And his foot was carrying him forward- the last step and he would join him, join Beka, join his best friend, join the person he loved most in the world. 

_“Don’t fucking die,”_ Otabek had said that day. The day where they both said the words that tied them together, wounds their fates into one. 

His foot was lowered, back to the safety of the cliff. 

He wouldn’t die. Ever.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
